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Listening to young children: supporting transition

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Listening to young children: supporting transition
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Course description

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In this free course, Listening to young children: supporting transition, you will explore ways of listening to children in order to support their experiences of changes or transitions. Such transitions can involve many dimensions, including familiarisation with new cultural practices, the development of new relationships and potentially a shift in identity, for example, from being a 'nursery child' to being a 'pupil'. During the course you will explore how listening to children as they go through such fundamental transitions can enable adults to personalise support, and ensure children can become confident, active participants in a new setting.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

  • discuss how listening to children as they prepare for and experience transition can help them to make meaning of their new situation
  • outline the discontinuities that children can experience as they transition to new environments
  • explain how boundary objects and learning stories can provide an opportunity to listen to children’s perspectives about their identity
  • outline the ways listening can contribute to the positive experiences of children making complex transitions.

First Published: 03/05/2018

Updated: 11/07/2019

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